ROBOTISATION OF A FLOWPACKER FEED: CONSTANT OUTPUT, LESS WEAR
Challenge
A filling machine with a variable output at a production company in the life sciences sector. A little further along the production line, a flow packer that requires a fixed input of products.
Two existing conveyors with an outdated machine in between that had to match supply and demand, but did not succeed optimally. The result was too much downtime. That had to be done better.
Solution
We developed, built and integrated a machine that serves as a kind of playmaker. By robotising the feed, it buffers products and matches the pace of delivery to the demand from the flow packer.
How does that work?
There are two encoders that measure the speed of the conveyors.
- One encoder measures the feed rate
- The other measures the output.
The central robot arm gets to work using product information and these speed measurements. The robot cell’s operating system interprets the data that comes in and translates it into the correct scenario. And converts this into the right instructions for the robot.
A vision system with 4 cameras checks the labels to verify both the quantity and completeness and which products are involved. This information is then written to a database so that full traceability of production can be guaranteed.
The next challenge was the limited floor space. We had to integrate this machine into an existing production environment, avoiding the existing conveyors. This meant looking for creative solutions in the design. As well as good preparation in order to be able to convert everything in one weekend.
In addition, the machine also had to be able to handle a high variability of products and therefore different physical shapes of products: octagonal, round, oval, etc.
Results
And the result of robotising the supply? A playmaker that can keep up with the high pace of their production line. A flow packer that is constantly fed, which means fewer gaps in production and a constant output from the production lines. And an installation where wear-and-tear is much less of an issue than before.
